Roots of Innovation: Endowments Nurture Creativity and Cultural Heritage at USU
Glenn and Anne Wilde on the USU campus on Glenn’s final day as a member of the faculty and administration in late June 1997.
For Glenn, ’67 MA, and Anne Wilde, Utah State University has always been more than just an institution. Deeply rooted in USU’s mission, both committed their lives to fostering an academic culture that championed creativity, cultural understanding, and innovation.
During his time at USU, Glenn was empowered by university leadership to build upon ideas that held creative merit. With support from the administration, he seized the opportunity to bring to life programs with the potential for national recognition — whether in folklore or creative writing. These opportunities became avenues for transformative ideas, culminating in programs and endowments that provided graduate students with opportunities to explore future possibilities and gain skills extending beyond traditional academics.
Glenn and Anne worked to establish the Fife Conference on Western American Folklore and Folklife, first held in 1976. Photo taken at a dinner during the Fife Folklore Conference held in August, 1978, including Robin Scherting, Austin Fife, John (Jack) Scherting, William A. (Bert) Wilson, Glenn Wilde and Anne Wilde.
Anne, who worked at USU in the former College of Family Life, shared Glenn’s vision of creating resources that would benefit students, faculty, and Utah communities for generations to come. This commitment resulted in the enduring legacy of programs like the Fife Folklore Archives and the Brewer Festival of Writing, both housed in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. These resources reflect their shared philosophy that knowledge should extend beyond traditional academic boundaries.
In the late 1960s, USU was in a period of transformation under President Glen Taggart. Tasked with making the university responsive to broader cultural and social changes, Taggart implemented decentralized budgeting and expanded Cooperative Extension Services, encouraging each college to engage statewide. For Glenn, who joined USU as the assistant dean for Extension under College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences Dean M. Judd Harmon, this was a call to action.
“Taggart’s vision was that education shouldn’t be confined to the campus,” Glenn recalled. “He wanted USU to be a resource for the entire state, reaching out to address real community needs.”
The role Glenn was appointed to was unprecedented; it involved developing off-campus educational programs while working to create events that showcased USU’s academic strengths.
“Dean Harmon encouraged me to think creatively and to pursue ideas that would make a lasting impact,” Glenn explained.
With support from the administration, Glenn organized The West: Its Literature and History, later to be called The Western Writers Conference, in 1972, bringing together writers, historians, and scholars to explore the culture and literature of the American West. The conference quickly garnered national attention, highlighting USU’s role as a leading institution for Western studies.
“The goal was to show that USU had unique strengths to offer,” Glenn said. “This wasn’t just about academic prestige; it was about creating a legacy.”
It was during the second Western Writers Conference that Glenn and Anne’s lives took an unexpected turn. Austin Fife, then head of USU’s Department of Foreign Languages, proposed including folklore as part of the conference programming. Initially, Glenn hesitated, viewing folklore as an informal topic, yet he ultimately agreed. Inviting Barre Toelken, a renowned folklorist, to present at the conference proved transformative.
“Toelken’s presentation opened our eyes to how folklore was the fabric of community identity,” Glenn reflected. “He made us realize that these stories were a way of preserving culture.”
For Anne, who passed in 2022, this discovery was equally powerful.
“Anne and I started to see our own family histories differently,” Glenn shared. “We realized that the stories passed down through generations were a part of us.”
Inspired by Toelken, who ended up spending nearly 20 years as a USU professor of English and folklorist, Glenn and Anne worked to establish the Fife Conference on Western American Folklore and Folklife, first held in 1976. The conference attracted educators, scholars, and students from across the country, laying the groundwork for the USU Libraries Special Collection and Archives Fife Folklore Archive, a collection that has since achieved national recognition.
“Our goal was simple: to create a space where these stories could be preserved and studied, not just for academic research, but as a way of keeping cultural heritage alive,” Glenn explained.
Beyond their support for folklore studies, the Wildes wanted to ensure students had opportunities to engage directly in this work. They established graduate fellowship endowments for students to conduct field research in folklore, often in partnership with local historical organizations. These fellowships encouraged students to collect and document stories from rural communities, preserving narratives of life in the West that might otherwise be lost.
Faculty from Fife Folklore Conference in 1978, showing (back row, left to right): Hector Lee, Barre Toelken, Jan Harold Brunvand, Eliot Wigginton, and Austin Fife. Front row (kneeling, left to right): William A. (Bert) Wilson, Bruce R. Buckley, Wayland D. Hand. Photograph was taken at the Fife residence in Logan, Utah.
“We believed that giving students these opportunities wasn’t just about funding their education,” Glenn said. “It was about fostering a deep connection to their heritage and to the people they would serve.”
Their dedication to USU extended to the arts as well, with the creation of the Brewer Festival of Writing in honor of their friend and poet Ken Brewer, a former USU faculty member and the state’s second Poet Laureate, who was instrumental in promoting creative writing on campus. The festival provides a platform for students in creative writing, allowing them to connect with established poets and find their own voice.
“Ken always believed that poetry was a way to heal and connect,” Glenn said. “Through the festival, we wanted to give students the same sense of discovery and expression that Ken had given us.”
Glenn recalls one particular student whose writing journey embodied the transformative power of the festival. The student, a young woman from Portland, used poetry to process her experiences and ultimately found strength through her work.
“Her journey reminded me of Ken’s belief that poetry is not just about words on a page,” Glenn shared. “It’s about finding meaning, resilience, and identity.”
In the late 1980s, Glenn’s role as interim dean for Libraries and Information Technology allowed him to create dedicated spaces for these emerging programs. Working alongside USU libraries team, Glenn led a project to transform underutilized library spaces into classrooms, media labs, and special collections facilities.
“This repurposing was about giving folklore and other specialized studies a home,” Glenn said. “We wanted students and faculty to have a place to explore these rich collections.”
This expansion not only housed the growing folklore archive, but also provided a dedicated space for USU Special Collections and Archives, significantly enhancing the resources available for historical and cultural research. Glenn credits the collaborative spirit of the library and university staff for making these transformations possible, despite budget constraints.
“The work we did was never about one person’s vision,” he said. “It was a team effort, and that’s what made it possible.”
Reflecting on the impact of their contributions, Glenn sees their efforts as part of a larger philosophy of education.
“For Anne and me, giving to USU wasn’t just about supporting programs,” he said. “It was about investing in a university that could impact lives and enrich communities.”
The Wildes’ work through the folklore archives, graduate fellowships, and creative writing programs has laid a foundation for future students and scholars to continue exploring, documenting, and celebrating the stories that define Western culture.
Today, Glenn takes pride in seeing their legacy continue to grow, knowing that their contributions have enriched USU in ways they never imagined.
“I often think of Robert Frost’s line, ‘A Road Not Taken,’” he reflected. “In many ways, our journey with USU was that road — a path of unexpected opportunities, supported by people who believed in what we could achieve.”
Through their dedicated service, Glenn and Anne have left an indelible mark on Utah State University, transforming not only its academic landscape but also its role as a steward of cultural heritage for future generations.
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USU Folklorist Barre Toelken at the Fife Folklore Conference in the late 1970s.
With the administration’s support, Glenn organized the Western Writers Conference in 1972, gathering prominent writers, historians, and scholars to explore the culture and literature of the American West. Wallace Stegner, who led the inaugural conference and delivered USU’s commencement address that year, is shown here alongside fellow presenters Howard Lamar, Keith Wilson, and Frederick Manfred.
Alta and Austin Fife at the Fife Conference Canyon Picnic in 1982.
Scenes from the Logan Canyon “cookout” for the Western Writers Conference, including photographs of Frederick Manfred and Wallace Stegner, 1970s.
Glenn and Anne’s dedication to USU extended to the arts as well, with the creation of the Brewer Festival of Writing in honor of their friend and poet Ken Brewer (pictured here), a former USU faculty member and the state’s second Poet Laureate, who was instrumental in promoting creative writing on campus.
Contact
Cassidy Nemelka
Development Officer, CHaSS
435-797-0267
cassidy.nemelka@usu.edu